The appointment of Michael Oliver as referee for the Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona clash brings comforting memories for the French side, who will host their Catalan opponents under the guidance of an official associated with their victory in their most recent meeting.
The English referee will take charge of the match scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, at the Parc des Princes for the third round of the Champions League league phase, a matchup that recalls events from the previous edition.
Oliver previously refereed PSG’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona on October 1, 2025, at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Ferran Torres opened the scoring for the hosts before Senny Mayulu leveled the score, and Gonçalo Ramos snatched the winner for the visitors in the 90th minute.
The past record provides PSG with additional reasons for optimism; in the six previous Champions League matches Oliver has officiated for the French club, they have secured four wins, one draw, and one defeat.
These victories include a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in the second leg of the 2024 Round of 16, followed by a 3-0 win against Salzburg and a 7-0 thrashing of Brest during their 2025 title-winning campaign, prior to defeating Barcelona. Their sole draw came against Benfica (1-1) in October 2022, while their only defeat was a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in February 2023.
On the Catalan side, the record is far less comforting; Barcelona have won only once in five previous tournament matches officiated by Oliver, drawing two and losing two, the most recent of which came against PSG.
Barca’s lone victory was a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv in November 2020, while they played out a goalless draw with Slavia Prague in 2019 and a 2-2 draw with Atalanta in January 2025. They also suffered a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in September 2021 before falling to the Parisian side.
Oliver will be assisted at the summit by Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, with Robert Jones acting as fourth official. Meanwhile, Marco Di Bello will oversee VAR, assisted by Daniele Chiffi. PSG enter the match hoping to replicate their recent memories with the English referee, while Barcelona search for a second win to alter their record under his whistle.
